Asked by Today to pick a favorite Olympic moment, Costas said, “I always go with Muhammad Ali lighting the torch in 1996 in Atlanta because it stands alone.”

“When he stepped out of the shadows and Janet Evans handed him that torch and you saw him trembling that way, somehow even in that condition, he was just as charismatic and magnetic as he’d ever been,” Costas added.

Though Tirico will now helm the Olympic coverage, Costas will continue to work for NBC Sports and NBC News.

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